Excerpts from the Statement of Commissioner for External Relations released on 15 December 2005

In a statement on behalf of Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner, released on 15 December 2005, Gnter Verheugen, Vice-President of the European Commission, said, “The Commission shares the concerns of the European Parliament regarding the human rights situation in China, in particular the detention of monks and closure of monasteries in Tibet as well as constitutional developments in Hong Kong. These issues are very high in the agenda of our dialogue with China.” The Vice-President further added, “We hope that a solution compatible with the Chinese sovereignty and the respects of the Tibetan population will be found soon. In our view, to reach this ultimate goal, there is no other alternative but a peaceful process based on dialogue. We have called for years, and will continue to call, for the establishment of such a dialogue. We therefore fully support the process which has been taking place over the past years between Beijing and the representatives of the Dalai-Lama. We firmly believe that only such a direct dialogue can be conducive to a lasting solution of the Tibetan issue. In our view, the opening of a direct dialogue should not be made subject to any precondition. On the other hand, the respective parties should refrain from taking any step which would compromise the establishment of a climate of confidence which appears as indispensable if a solution were to be reach.”

Excerpts from the European Parliament resolution on Tibet [P6_TA-PROV(2005)0010], January 2005

The European Parliament,

recalling its earlier resolutions on Tibet and the human rights situation in China,

having regard to its resolution of 18 November 2004[1] on Tibet, the case of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche,

having regard to the human rights dialogue between the EU and China,

having regard to religious freedom in China and in particular the case of Julius Jia Zhiguo, bishop of the northern Chinese province of Hebei,

having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure, F. whereas, at the request of the then European Council, the Council is currently re-examining the embargo on arms sales to China which was decided and implemented in 1989, G. whereas the Chinese Government recently received representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama,

Calls once more on the Government of the People’s Republic of China to stop its continued violation of the human rights of the Tibetan people and other minorities and to ensure that it respects international standards of human rights and humanitarian law, as well as religious rights;

Calls on the Council and the Member States to maintain the EU embargo on trade in arms with the People’s Republic of China and not to weaken the existing national limitations on such arms sales; considers that this embargo should be maintained until such time as the EU has adopted a legally binding Code of Conduct on Arms Exports and the People’s Republic of China has taken concrete steps towards improving the human rights situation, inter alia by ratifying the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and by fully respecting the rights of minorities;

Calls on the Government of the People’s Republic of China to step up the ongoing dialogue with the representatives of the Dalai Lama so as to reach a mutually acceptable solution to the Tibet issue without further delay;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the UN Secretary-General, the Chinese Government, the Governor of Sichuan Province, and the Chief Prosecutor of the Sichuan Provincial People’s Procuratorate.

Excerpts from the resolution passed in the European Parliament on 18th November 2004

The resolution was tabled by 5 political groups.

The European Parliament,

Calls on the Government of the Peoples Republic of China to step up the ongoing dialogue with the Representatives of the Dalai Lama with the aim of reaching a mutually acceptable solution to the issue of Tibet without further delay;

Re-iterates, in this respect, its call to the Council to appoint an EU Special Representative for Tibetan Affairs so as to contribute effectively to the peaceful resolution of this issue.

Excerpts from the German Greens Tibet Resolution (2 and 3 October 2004)

Third Party Congress, Kiel, Germany

Tibet Resolution: Alliance 90/The Greens

Tibet, i.e. the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and all Tibetan areas outside of the TAR, should be administered by Tibetans for Tibetans in a genuine autonomy, according to principles of ecological compatibility, which protect and preserve life and nature, as the Dalai Lama has been calling for for over 20 years.

We call on the Federal Government to explicitly and firmly request the Chinese leadership, in particular Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, to negotiate with the Dalai Lama for a peaceful resolution of the Sino-Tibetan conflict.

Excerpts from the resolution adopted by the Dutch Parliament on 18 December 2003

Second Chamber of the Parliament-Tweede Kamer

Having deliberated thereupon and:

Considering that it is of great importance that a dialogue be initiated between China and Tibet, and that the issue of Tibet has been insufficiently addressed within the context of the dialogue on human rights between the European Union and China;

Considering that the United States has appointed a Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, who is making active efforts to bring about a dialogue between the Chinese government and the Tibetan government in exile;

And considering that Special Representatives for certain regions, but not Tibet, have been appointed at the European level;

Hereby requests the government to call for the appointment of a Special Representative for Tibet at the European level.

The participants of the “European Parliament Forum on Tibet,” which includes Members of the European Parliament from all Member States of the European Union, Members of National Parliaments and of Candidate States gathered in Brussels on 12 November 2003 to consider the situation in Tibet[1] and the European Union’s response to Sino-Tibetan dialogue, are unanimously resolved in:

Deploring the continuing violation of the individual and collective rights of the Tibetan people, including the right of self-determination as affirmed in UN Resolution 1723 (XVI), and the ongoing repression of the Tibetan peoples’ political and religious beliefs by the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC);

Noting the longstanding commitment of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in Exile to non-violence and their consistent efforts to ensure a peaceful, negotiated solution for Tibet through dialogue with the government of the People’s Republic of China;

Welcoming the renewed contact between envoys of the Dalai Lama and Chinese officials in September 2002 and in May-June 2003;

Recalling the European Parliament resolution of 19 December 2002 which urges the Chinese Government to immediately commute the death sentence handed down to Tibetan Buddhist leader, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche;

Welcoming that in the 13 October 2003 European Union policy paper, the European Council highlighted encouraging dialogue between the Dalai Lama and the government of the People’s Republic of China to find a mutually acceptable solution to the issue of Tibet as a European Union priority for political dialogue with the government of the People’s Republic of China;

Regretting that, despite these policy commitments, the EU-China Summit of 30 October 2003 failed to address the issue of Tibet and that the European Union human rights dialogue with the PRC has not had any positive effect on the situation in Tibet;

Recognising the constructive impact of the work of European Union Special Representatives in promoting the resolution of conflicts in various regions of the world;

Recalling the European Parliament resolutions of 15 January 1998 and 11 April 2002, the requests by the Dalai Lama in his 24 October 2001 address to the European Parliament and his letters of 11 March 2002 to the Foreign Ministers of all European Union Member States, and the request by the international coalition of Tibet Support Groups in their recent communique to the heads of the European Council, Commission and Parliament, for the appointment of a European Union Special Representative for Tibet;

Commending the allocation in the 2003 and 2004 European Union budgets for the appointment of a European Union Special Representative for Tibet;

Recalling the European Parliament resolution of 6 July 2000, specifically its call for governments of the Member States to give serious consideration to the possibility of recognising the Tibetan Government in Exile as the legitimate representative of the Tibetan people;

Calls for the European Council and Commission to implement the existing European Union budget allocation to immediately appoint a high-level European Union Special Representative for Tibet, whose mandate is to promote substantive dialogue between the government of the People’s Republic of China and the Dalai Lama or his representatives and whose term is directly linked to notable progress in this;

Calls for the release of all political prisoners, including Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, who is under a death sentence and could be executed by China as soon as April 2004;

Calls on the European Union to prominently raise the issue of Tibet during the EU-China human rights dialogue session in Beijing on 26 November 2003 and during future EU/China Summits;

Calls for the European Union and all European governments to use every opportunity to strongly impress upon the government of the PRC to build on the re-establishment of contact with the representatives of the Dalai Lama and to immediately embark upon earnest and sincere negotiations with the object of finding a just and lasting political solution;

Recommends that, in light of the renewed contact between Dharamsala and Beijing, the European Parliament reviews any progress made, invites the Dalai Lama to address the Parliament about the deteriorating situation in Tibet and the status of discussions with the PRC, and reconsiders whether to implement the 6 July 2000 resolution which proposed to recognise the Tibetan Government in Exile as the legitimate representative of the Tibetan people; vRecommends that the European Parliament hold an expert European Parliament Hearing on Tibet to examine the serious issues of population transfer, economic marginalisation, and development and environmental degradation, which the Tibetan people are facing today;

Urge China to drop all preconditions to negotiations and to issue a clear commitment to continue the present contact with representatives of the Dalai Lama with the aim of leading to substantive dialogue;

Instructs the Chair of this Forum to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the UN Secretary-General, the Government of China, the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in Exile, as well as the governments of the Member States of the Council of Europe.

[1] Reference to Tibet in this documents means the three provinces of U-Tsang, Kham and Amdo.

WHITE HOUSEPress Briefing by Scott McClellanThe James S. Brady Briefing RoomSeptember 10, 200312:49 P.M. EDT MR. McCLELLAN: Good afternoon, everybody. Earlier today, the President met with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, you heard from the Dalai Lama outside. This was their second meeting to discuss Tibet. The President reiterated our strong commitment to support the preservation of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity, and the protection of the human rights of all Tibetans.

The President also declared his strong support for the Dalai Lama’s commitment to the dialogue with China. The President said he would seek ways to encourage China to continue the dialogue on a substantive basis, and expressed his hope that the Chinese government would respond favorably. The President and the Dalai Lama agreed on the importance of strong and constructive U.S.-China relations.

“We were pleased to learn that Mr. Lodi Gyari, the Dalai Lama’s Special Envoy, and his delegation were received by Chinese officials on May 25 in Shanghai. We understand that this is a follow-on trip to the September 2002 visit when two the sides renewed contact. We look forward to hearing more on the conclusion of the talks. The President and the Secretary continue to discuss with Chinese leaders the need for substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representative to resolve long standing differences. The Administration will follow this visit with great interest and we hope this trip will bring both sides closer to engaging in such a dialogue.”

Excerpts from the European Parliament’s Resolution on Human Rights in Tibet

Adopted on 23 December 2002 at Strasbourg

Tabled by……………………….. on behalf of the PPE GroupTabled by VAN DEN BERG…….. on behalf of the PES GroupTabled by……………………….. on behalf of the ELDR GroupTabled by……………………….. on behalf of the GREEN GroupTabled by……………………….. on behalf of the GUE GroupTabled by……………………….. on behalf of the UEN GroupOn the human rights situation of TibetansThe European Parliament,

Recalling its earlier resolutions on Tibet and the human rights situation in China;

Whereas the Chinese Government has received representatives of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, recently;

Calls on the Government of China to continue to dialogue between the government and the representatives of the Dalai Lama.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the UN Secretary-General and the government of China.

Adopted in the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament on 9th October 2002

The House of Representatives,

Given the European Parliament resolutions regarding Tibet dated October 14, 1987, March 15, 1989, September 15, 1993, May 17, 1995, July 13, 1995, April 18, 1996, May 23, 1996, May 13, 1997, January 16,1998, May 13, 1998, July 6, 2000, April 11, 2002;

Given the resolutions regarding fundamental rights violations in Tibet adopted by the German Bundestag (October 15, 1987, June 20, 1996 and April 18,2002), adopted by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Italian House of Representatives (April 12, 1989), by the Belgian House of Representatives (June 20, 1990), adopted by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Irish Parliament (July 21, 1998);

Given the resolution adopted on August 23, 1991 by the United Nations sub-Committee for the prevention of discrimination and protection of the rights of minorities;

Given the resolutions adopted by the United States Government, by the Australian Senate and House of Representatives and by the Czech Parliament;

Given the Constituent Act of the Association of Italian Communities, provinces and Regions an organization which many local organizations have joined;

Keeping in mind

The tragic historical events experienced since 1949 up until today by the Tibetan people;

Keeping in mind

The United Nations resolution n. 1353 of the year 1959, and n. 1723 of the year 1961 and n. 2079 of the year1965;

The agreement consisting of 17 points signed in Beijing by the Tibetan authorities, whom, although recognizing the fact that Tibet has become part of the Peoples Republic, guaranteed as well, full autonomy for Tibet and, particularly, the acknowledgement of its political system and the full respect of religious freedom;

The repeated attempts to give new force to the dialogue with Beijing authorities made by the Dalai Lama with the five point program, presented before the American Parliament in 1987, and with the Strasbourg proposal, presented before the European Parliament in 1988;

Considers

Favourably, to the ends of reinforcing dialogue and negotiations, the Dalai Lamas position as far as it concerns the realization of an autonomous government for Tibet within the Peoples Republic of China; it shares its profound concern for the serious damage already done to the Tibetan environment, traditions, culture and the Tibetan religion, and for the deterioration of the situation regarding human rights in Tibet; it expresses a positive judgement regarding the recent contacts commenced between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama and hopes that these will become, as soon as possible, true direct negotiations between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama with the aim of defining a new statute which guarantees full autonomy for Tibet within the Chinese Peoples Republic;

Adopts as its own

The European Parliament resolutions dated July 6, 2000 and April 11, 2002,

It commits the Government to

the adoption, among the afore said European Parliament resolutions, of all the possible initiatives regarding the Peoples Republic of China, so that, by way of dialogue, conditions be created for the realization of a new statute for Tibet, which will guarantee full autonomy for the Tibetan people in all sectors of political, economic and cultural life, with the exception of foreign affairs and defense;

call upon the Chinese government to acknowledge and fully respect the fundamental political, social and cultural rights of religious, ethnic and other minorities, and also their cultural specificity including religious freedom;

aid, in accordance with the other European Union members, the dialogue between the Beijing authorities and the Dalai Lama;

work within the European Commission so as to designate an observer from the European Union concerning the Tibetan issue.